


In Our Darkest Shadows

by NatashaRS



Series: The Mystery of Our Souls [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination Attempt(s), Assassination Plot(s), BAMF Hux, BAMF Kylo, Badass Hux, But Kylo is also a jerk, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Clone Wars, Diplomacy, Force Choking, Happy ending is sorta happy, Hux Backstory, Hux is Not Nice, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Like Spaceships, Lots of Lovely Ships, M/M, Plot, Politics, Post-Canon, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Proper Use of the Force, Protective Kylo Ren, Redemption, References to Canon, Sharing a Room, Side Plots, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Surprise There, The Dark Side of the Force, The Finalizer, The Force, Violence, War, anakin skywalker - Freeform, is a goddamn plot point, redemption arc, so whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-07-10 19:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7003756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaRS/pseuds/NatashaRS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year following the destruction of Starkiller base, and General Hux is ensuring the First Order’s dominance over the galaxy. Suddenly, his life spirals out of control as assassination attempts are made, Kylo Ren returns, he must engineer both diplomacy and war, and the First Order begins to slip from his fingers. Meanwhile, he finds himself diving into the story of Anakin Skywalker, while ignoring his own feelings of affection towards a certain knight. As his world shatters and crumbles, Hux must ask himself if what he wants is worth it and how much he’s willing to sacrifice. The call of the Light, it appears, is stronger than he thought.</p><p>This is the story of how one man simultaneously lost everything and found the only thing that mattered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Art by the amazing, wonderful @iwanttoplayguitar who can be found at [iwanttoplayguitar.tumblr.com](https://iwanttoplayguitar.tumblr.com/) and whose art is featured in Chapters 4 and 7! I'm so happy that they wanted to do the art for the work and you should definitely check out their other pieces. They are very talented so go follow them on Tumblr!
> 
> Big thanks to [thewightknight](https://thewightknight.tumblr.com/) and [moonwalkingcrab](https://moonwalkingcrab.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading for me!
> 
> And finally, you can find me at [nat-fic.tumblr.com](https://nat-fic.tumblr.com/) if you feel like talking about this fic or Kylux in general :D

_A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away..._

**STAR WARS: IN OUR DARKEST SHADOWS**

 

“Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Starkiller Base. On that day, that great weapon was wrenched from our hands by the abhorrent Resistance. The Resistance that struggles to control what is left of the New Republic, that strikes at us time and time again, and yet is only met with our indomitable fury. With each passing day, we destroy the remaining shards of hope for the liars and thieves that would try to rule our galaxy. We will crush all opposition to the First Order and vanquish our enemies from every planet in the galaxy!”

“For the First Order!”, thousands of voices echoed as lines of soldiers threw their fists into the air.

Hux’s lips curled upwards at one end as he gazed upon his loyal army. _The galaxy will indeed be mine,_ he thought.

 

* * *

 

Two sets of footsteps - one heavy and metallic, the other quieter and yet no less authoritative - echoed through the long hallway. The shadows of two figures played on the dark metal floor as they passed by the large triangular windows that broke apart the dull-looking wall that made up the left side of the hallway. The warm orange sunlight that fell through the windows brightened the entire scene in a way that only the natural light of a sunset could, and yet it almost looked out of place in the stark military base.

The general noted the beautiful, lazy light that streamed through the transparisteel and, while he found the sight quite enjoyable, it couldn’t kindle a fire in his heart. _The binary sunset over Starkiller Base greatly surpassed this measly sight,_ he thought to himself. _Or perhaps I simply remember it that way..._ , he sighed internally.

“Your speech was inspiring, General,” the too-robotic voice of the woman beside him commented. “Of course, with your recent victories over the B’ris and Brogel systems, it was hardly needed.”

“My thanks, Captain, but the troops needed a reminder that the galaxy will be ours. Even with our growing success, the damned Resistance has yet to learn their lesson and crawl into a hole to disappear,” Hux responded. “They are proving to be quite a headache.”

“I believe they call themselves the ‘First Army of the New Republic’ now,” she added.

The redhead pursed his lips as he glanced sideways at Phasma. “They can call themselves what they like. Just because they evoked martial law over the remnants of the New Republic doesn’t mean anything. General Organa can take her disgusting attempts at overseeing new elections and stop meddling with the affairs of the galaxy.”

“Hmm,” the captain hummed in response, sounding more like a computer than a human with her voice modulator. “Regardless, they will soon be crushed. It is clear that we have the advantage, thanks to you, General. The Supreme Leader is sure to congratulate you at tomorrow’s address.”

 _Praise is welcome. I deserve it after raising the Order out of the ashes as I have_ , Hux thought to himself, not bothering to conceal the smile that the captain’s comment brought to his face. _And it’ll bring me one step closer to my goal. It seems as though things are going nicely for me._

“There are rumors that he’s to announce his number two...his successor, if you must,” Phasma added.

“We’ve all heard the rumors. I doubt their authenticity.”

“And if they prove to be truthful, what will you do?”

“Celebrate,” the general replied with a grin.

“You are the most likely candidate, and you have the best men behind you, but perhaps it is Master Ren that will be named.”

Hux’s expression quickly turned from a smile into one that most people make when they smell sour milk. The system of succession was unclear in the First Order, and the thought of his greatest rival made his muscles tense.

“He’ll be there?”

“You didn’t know? Some of my men have been assigned to escort him from his shuttle when he arrives tomorrow.”

“The Supreme Leader didn’t mention it. Perhaps because it is of no importance. The last I saw of him was during the destruction of Starkiller - an event, I must note, that was at least partially his fault. It has been a year, but no amount of training could possibly raise him into the Supreme Leader’s good graces.”

“Perhaps not. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. My bets are on your promotion, General. I’ll see you then,” she said with a nod before turning and striding away down the corridor perpendicular to the one they were on.

Hux returned the nod before facing one of the great triangular windows to his left, and looked out at the busy stormtroopers below. _Certainly, I’m the only one with any chance of benefiting from this address,_ he thought. _And one day, the galaxy will be mine._

 

* * *

 

The next day, General Hux made his way back through the hallway which he and Phasma had strode through the previous evening as he set out to arrive early for the address. It was to take place at the same location in which he had given his speech: a great open courtyard bordered by security towers. He’d stand on the same platform that he had been on the day before, but next to the other ranking officials instead of in the center. That space was reserved for the projection of the Supreme Leader who would uncharacteristically be the one giving the address. Hux knew that the leader preferred to send his messages privately to his generals and knights, but he was also aware that the Order would not remain intact if their leader was a faceless name who rarely address his own men in person. It was on his way to the courtyard that the general first spotted a man dressed entirely in black with his face covered by a mask.

The general’s chest tightened, although his heartrate managed to stay the same.

“Lord Ren, I see you have arrived safely,” he said as he stopped in front of the knight, who was staring out of a window with his arms held behind his back.

“General Hux, a pleasure, as always,” the dark figure said as he turned his mask face towards the slightly shorter man.

“I assume I will be seeing you at the address,” Hux stated as he stared into the black eyes of the mask.

“Of course, General. I was just on my way there.”

“This early? How unusual of you. I suppose you’re being more cautious about using your time wisely and not causing another base to implode?”

“I simply thought that being early would give me a chance to survey the courtyard properly. Although, if this base did explode I’m sure it would make a star just as beautiful as the last.”

Hux gritted his teeth. Ren was responding carefully and not just with emotion, as the general had expected. The idea of it taking actual work to incite a volatile response from Ren did not please him. The knight was a lesser man, and, in the his mind, lesser men were nothing more than pawns.

“I didn’t know you’d seen the star. I figured you’d be too busy ‘training’, or being chastised, by the Supreme Leader, while I established dominance for the First Order.”

“The Supreme Leader has much faith in me, General. Much more than he has in you.”

The redhead clenched one of his fists.

“He seemed to have plenty of faith in me when giving me the instructions to retrieve your dying body.”

Much can change in a year. Speaking of, I should congratulate you for your recent success in obtaining some of the New Republic’s resource planets, as well as the relics from Coruscant.”

“My thanks,” Hux forced out. “Both the relics and the planets will prove useful in our mission to free the galaxy from the hands of the Republic.”

The general didn’t think twice about the fact that he was rubbing the back of his right wrist with his left hand. Luckily, he was wearing gloves, so his skin did not suffer from the habit. Internally, however, he was very much aware of his desire to get Ren to lash out and, therefore, reconfirm that the Force user was nothing more than an emotionally unstable man-child who had suffered from never being denied anything in his life. It appeared, though, that Hux was losing the battle and would only make a fool of himself. Ren’s new way of reacting to things caused the general’s stomach to turn, but he was careful not to make his feelings obvious. _I just need to get through this address and then, with Snoke’s praise (and possibly rewards), I can show the smug bastard what real power is_ , Hux thought to himself.

“You wanted to be early,” he said, “so let’s go.”

The two men walked side-by-side down the hallway and continued walking together until they reached the courtyard. At that point, the general pulled out his datapad from his greatcoat and barked orders at some of the stormtroopers standing around while Kylo Ren stood silently on the other side of the platform, a dark, dominating presence that while noiseless was not to be ignored.

Eventually, those invited to the address arrived. The group was mostly comprised of officers, although some stormtroopers stood near the back. Captain Phasma was one of the few invited, and she was even allowed stand next to Hux as a physical representation of the Army of the First Order. After all, it was mostly Hux’s troops on the base, and she was one of their main leaders. On his other side, a few more important generals found their places. Most of them played minor roles in overseeing the First Order, at least in comparison to Hux.

The general’s chest filled with a soft warmth as he eyed the men and women surrounding him. He knew very well that none of them were nearly as instrumental in the success of the First Order as he was. Even General Tagge, with his respected family name and control of the second-largest portion of the Army of the First Order, had suffered three consecutive losses over the course of the past few months. _Certainly,_ Hux thought to himself, _the Supreme Leader will recognize my superiority._

Out of the corner of his eye, he made out a dark, looming figure. Ren had only moved once, to situate himself on Hux’s side of where the projection would be, but further back than the general himself, and yet the general could not push him out of his mind.

His stomach twisted into a knot as his mind began to focus on his only competition for the Supreme Leader’s attention. Taking a deep breath, he tried to focus on the address as it began.

A small silver disk in the center of the stage began to glow and then flickered a few times before throwing an enormous image of the Supreme Leader into the air. He looked as he normally did, daunting with a presence that commanded silence, with the exception of a hood which covered part of his face. The disconcerting figure tapped his long fingers together several times before beginning to speak..

The general took a deep breath and looked out onto the crowd as Snoke commended the Navy for their recent victories. Consciously focusing on keeping his expression neutral, the redhead took in every word with an internal smile. As the Supreme Leader listed nearly every successful endeavor in the months leading up to the address, Hux noted how many were a direct result of his efforts. A great warmth spread throughout his chest as the number rose higher and higher.

“It is with great pleasure-”

Hux thought that word sounded out of place coming from the Supreme Leader.

“-that I sit here before you today. In honor of our certain triumph over the New Republic, I would like to congratulate one man.”

The general maintained his perfect composure as his heart rate sped up, but did not fail to notice the subtle glare General Tagge was giving him. If he hadn’t been standing before the highest ranking members of the First Order, he would’ve snickered.

“Raise your arms and salute General-”

Hux’s lips spread out into a smile as he turned to look at Snoke.

“-Tagge.”

Eyes widening, the redhead stared at the Supreme Leader as his heart skipped a beat. His chest erupted into a hot flurry of physical sensations as the entire body of individuals around him raised their arms to salute the undeserving man beside him. Almost too late, he raised his arm, but not before noticing what appeared to be a glare in his direction coming from none other than Snoke himself. Unsure if the menacing expression was created in his own head or not, Hux took several deep breaths, unable to tear his eyes away from where the Supreme Leader sat.

Everyone lowered their arms as the Supreme Leader listed the many “achievements” of General Tagge. Such achievements included successful negotiations with the Trandoshans on Jer’Da, an event that brought in many new recruits. Approximately one-ninth the number that General Hux had acquired the month before, although the Supreme Leader didn’t mention that last part.

Face hot as the speech went on, Hux snapped his gaze back to the people standing below. He held his arms behind his back, tightly squeezing his hands together to the point of pain. _How could that sniveling piece of scum be more worthy of praise than I am? What’s next? Will he be named successor to the Supreme Leader?_ The general’s stomach sunk at his last thought. He was quite aware that proper protocol deemed his silence on the matter, but after everything he had sacrificed for the sake of the First Order, the redhead was determined to not let the matter rage out of control. His clever mind had already begun formulating ways to address the issue and resolve whatever matter had caused the Supreme Leader’s contempt.

For no apparent reason, the black spot in the corner of Hux’s eye began to move - and quickly. Black cloth made contact with his skin, enveloping him, and then he was hitting the ground.

Out of instinct brought on by years of training, the general pressed his chin to his chest and slammed his hand against the hard, cold metal. As he collapsed, his body was aware of the stinging sensation that covered his palm, as well as the dull throbbing that had accompanied it. However, his mind was too preoccupied with the heavy weight on top of him, pressing him down into the platform and the smells of dirt, nature, and pine to notice. Before he could open his mouth to speak, his ears were met by the sounds of blasters being fired, followed by shouts.


	2. Chapter 2

Hux’s right hand flew to the inside of his greatcoat, where he kept a blaster safely tucked away, while his left hand pushed on the black mass that pressed against his body. Not much effort was needed to get the other man off of him, however, as the man in black quickly stood up of his own accord. Then, a bright red plasma beam erupted from the metal haft in the knight’s hand and he sprung into battle, deflecting blasts and using an outstretched arm to fight opponents with an invisible force.

The general’s eyes flew around the scene in an attempt to quickly absorb the details of the situation. He didn’t know what was going on - although he had several guesses - but he was set on a clear analysis of the situation. The towers that guarded the area were using their exceptionally powerful blaster cannons to fire at each other, as a few of them rained hell on the ground below. From a distance, Kylo Ren was controlling the blasts coming towards the platform while holding his position, clearly capable enough of handling his opponents without being closer to the structures. The glowing holoprojector that had been projecting the dominating figure of Snoke was damaged and burning, destroyed with no hope of repair. And on the ground, just a few feet away and coincidentally in the spot where Hux had been standing, was General Tagge - killed on the spot by blaster bolts which Kylo had protected Hux from.

Hux’s eyes went wide as he bent down to see if the other man was breathing - he was not.

“Quickly, to my left,” a modulated voice said.

The general spun, instantly perceiving the threat he had been warned of, and fired.

“I advise you find someplace to hide. You are not cut out for battle, General. You are only a man,” Kylo said while still holding his ground.

The heat of a flush crept over his cheeks and his right eye twitched ever-so-slightly. Narrowing his eyes and clenching his teeth, Hux brushed off the fact that his ears and neck had become impossibly hot with Ren’s last phrase. He knew that Ren was goading him, calling him a weakling because he, a prestigious general, lived a more comfortable life at the head of the First Order. But Hux would not have it. He cleared his mind and made a resolution: he was not one to take orders from a man that new nothing about hard work. 

“Shut down the biaxial coupling for the defense stations’ thermal-generators,” he barked into his wrist-comm.

“Sir, they’ve cut the argo wires. We can’t access the coupling,” a voice said back.

The general glanced up and fired twice before speaking again, “Then send someone to the Red and Yellow Stations’ bases to manually remove the external flux dischargers.”

“But that will overheat the thermal-generators, sir.”

He looked over at the towers - the stations - and responded, “If we can’t shut them down, we need to make them unusable.”

“Yes, sir.”

Behind him, he heard heavy footsteps which caused him to turn. He thought it a bad sign, as only he and Ren were left standing on the platform. The rest of the high-ranking officers were either taking up space on the ground or had run off. However, he found the sight that met his eyes to be a pleasant one. Several stormtroopers were running forward holding T-25 Light Repeating Blaster Cannons.

“Aim for the Ren Station. On my mark...fire!” ordered the voice belonging to the trooper in chromium armor.

Green blaster bolts streaked through the sky, impacting the walls of the Red Station, one of the towers under enemy control. The Yellow Station continued to try and eliminate everyone on the platform, but Ren jerked his hand about, redirecting the blaster bolts into the ground.

“Sir, the flux dischargers have been removed,” a voice spoke from Hux’s wrist-comm.

“Excellent. Now...” the general glanced about at the scene as his heart pounded in his chest. The battle, if you could call it that, was all but won. The few intruders that had attempted to take the area on foot were dead and, in the distance, a large explosion erupted from the Yellow Station. He cleared his throat, “Prepare my shuttle. Once our ‘guests’ have been captured, interrogate them. I want to know how they found our location and what they were after. If they have no information, I want them dead.”

Nodding to Phasma, he made his way off of the platform and towards the hanger, not even wincing as another loud explosion rang in the distance.

 

* * *

 

“A decent solution to immediate concerns, but we still need a long-term plan for tightening security. I’ll organize a meeting with General Hesein,” Hux said as the door swished open and he strode into a room whose dim lighting only stood to emphasize the bleakness of the spartan space.

His quarters contained a few personal belongings - an old Imperial blaster, an ancient looking cube, a small, cylindrical comm, and a piece of scrap metal - which sat atop a grey storage unit on the right side of the room. The space itself was larger than most personal quarters on the ship, but even then, not that big. In the center was a decent sized bed that could fit two people, with room to spare, and beside it, a silver nightstand. 

“Very well, General,” the small, blue hologram of  Captain Phasma responded before disappearing.

The general pocketed the silver disk that he had been holding up and sighed, rubbing his temples. With another deep breath, he slipped off his greatcoat and placed it on the back of the chair in front of his desk on the left side of the room, and then stepped into the fresher to wet his face.

The device on his wrist began to beep. 

Hux turned his forearm slightly and looked down to see who was contacting him, before rolling his eyes and huffing. Taking more time than he knew he should’ve, he made his way back to his desk and pulled out his datapad, sitting down to read it. The words met his eyes, but meant very little to his mind. Out of habit, he slipped on the gloves which had been discarded with his coat. There were too many unanswered questions - too many possibilities. He knew that it was unlike the Resistance to be so aggressive, but he was aware that they knew that they were fighting a losing battle. Those in desperate positions take desperate measures.

His comm beeped again, although he chose to ignore it. It only caused a fire to erupt inside his chest, accompanied by vivid memories flooding his head. The way that Snoke had so easily lied to the other officers by proclaiming his gratitude towards Tagge caused Hux’s stomach to turn. The Supreme Leader was by no means an upstanding man, but the general had thought him to be reasonable. For months, the powerful being had commended him for his prowess as a leader, mentioning more than once that he would make an excellent successor, and Hux had worked hard to get into such a promising position...and yet it seemed to have all been thrown away in a single moment. A word describing what had happened sat on the edge of the general’s mind, but he dared not even think it. The more he reflected on the events of the address, the more he realized that there was something else eating at him.

The hell of the past hour was nothing compared to what happened on Starkiller, and yet Hux found himself clutching his datapad a little too tightly. Ren’s words burned in his mind. The general knew that he was as susceptible to death as anyone else, but he was not just a mere human. He gritted his teeth thinking about all the hard work he’d put into achieving his rank - into taking what was rightfully his. The Empire had kept the galaxy stable after the chaos of the Clone Wars, and the New Republic was nothing more than a delusional, hopelessly optimistic council of idiots set on leading the galaxy to ruin while serving their own needs. There was a reason that planets away from the Core were often poor, even though the Hosnian system and other “vital” centers were bathed in luxury. And Hux knew that he was going to be the one to take the galaxy back, to make it stable once more. With him at the head of the First Order, there would be peace. A perfect army, a great ruler...the galaxy would be his to maintain.

The sound of a door swishing open broke Hux’s train of thought.

“What are you doing in my quarters?” he said, standing up.

“General, you have been ignoring my messages,” a modulated voice said from behind a black mask.

“While the Supreme Leader may think you worth his time, do note that you are not worth mine. Now leave,” Hux replied, turning back to his desk.

“And what about the First Army?”

The general glanced to the side. “What about them?”

“I interrogated our prisoners. We now have new information on their tactics. Do you wish to hear it?”

The general let out a tense breath. “Yes?”

“The attack today was led by the First Army, but the base was found by mercenaries hired to track our fleet.”

“Did they give names?”

“They didn’t know them.”

“We’ll need to be more careful. Now leave. Not even the other generals are allowed personal visits to my chambers.”

“There’s one more thing.”

Hux raised an eyebrow.

“It’s about Luke Skywalker. He and the girl are on their way back to the First Army.”

The general clenched a gloved fist.

“Well then, Jedi Killer, it seems as though you have some Jedi to kill.”

Kylo Ren didn’t respond, he simply turned and left the room.  _ He was less of a threat when I could provoke him. More easily manipulated. At least he doesn’t seem intent on destroying my ship anymore,  _ Hux thought to himself before slumping down into his chair and covering his face with a gloved hand.

 

* * *

 

“I want to see our prisoners.”

“Sir, I wouldn’t go in there. They-”

Hux snapped his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, focusing his gaze on the stormtrooper. “I want to see the prisoners.”

The woman in the white armor took a step back and sighed before punching in a code onto the nearby panel. The door in front of them whooshed open.

Aside from a slight twitch that his eye gave, the general showed no external reaction to the sight before him. He took a deep breath and moved his arms behind his back, clasping his gloved hands together. If his grip was slightly tighter than normal, no one noticed. On the inside, however, Hux felt a cold pang in his stomach - not a sensation that he had experienced often before. Under normal conditions, he wouldn’t have felt anything at all, and yet there was something unusual about the scene before him. He didn’t worry though, or give it a second thought, as the feeling passed as quickly as it had come.

“I assume you will take care of this soon?”

“Yes sir,” the trooper responded.

“Very well,” Hux said, content with what he’d seen. After all, he’d given the order to kill them anyway.

The general left, allowing the doors to close on the dead bodies that filled the room. Dead bodies whose lifeless eyes stared at him and whose faces held distorted expressions. It was only reasonable that their faces be forever locked in a state of fear, as most were missing limbs which had been cleanly cut off. As the doors shut, the smell of charred flesh faded away.

 

* * *

 

A soft hum too quiet to hear in waking hours filled the room. Aside from the ship’s natural purr, there were no other noises. Trying to sleep on a star destroyer was very different from drifting off in a room on the surface of a planet. Arkanis, for example, was always full of sounds at night. Unless you slept in the interior of a large palace, you’d hear the rain collide with everything in its path, and you could never ignore the grand rumbles in the sky.

Hux threw off his sheet and rubbed his eyes, sitting as still as a statue on the side of his bed for several minutes before he got up to read at his desk. His datapad flashed several different messages, all of which he twitched his lip at and ignored. They were all related to either the First Army and their disembodied soldiers, or the Supreme Leader’s address. Both topics made his stomach turn, for different reasons. Wanting to avoid thinking about those reasons, he tapped the pad several times, opening some files he’d been meaning to get to.

_ Let’s see what these old documents have to say... _ , he thought to himself.

 

* * *

 

“How much do you know about Clone Wars, Captain?” Hux asked the woman across him. It was quiet in the officer’s mess, and their shifts hadn’t started yet, so they had time to talk.

“I know that it was a disaster inflicted by the Republic and the Senate, and that it was resolved when the Empire came to power,” Phasma responded. “Why?”

The general took a sip of his caf before answering. “I’ve been reviewing the files we recovered. Many of them date back to the Clone Wars, and they’re quite interesting.”

The woman responded with a “hmm” and drank some of her own caf.

“I’m interested in learning more, but most history prior to the rise of the Empire is lost, thanks to the wars,” Hux added, although he was aware that the Empire had a bigger part in the loss than history had recorded. It was, after all, a very strategic move.

“What have you read?” she asked, leaning onto her hand while raising an eyebrow.

“Some battle plans that aren’t half bad. Ship logs. A few personal records belonging to some count.”

“Sounds useless, for the most part.”

Hux opened is mouth to respond, but was cut off by an alert on his wrist-comm.

“Sir, we need you on the bridge.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

He grabbed his greatcoat and gave Phasma a short nod before making his way to the bridge.

 

* * *

 

“Once the hydro-fibal stabilizers are in place, the ship should be fine, General.”

“Good. Notify me when the repairs are complete.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hux moved away from the lieutenant whose shoulder he’d been looking over. The blue panel flickered away from the repairs they’d been discussing.

“General,” a voice called out, causing Hux’s head to turn.

“What is it, Ren?”

“My master has a new mission for you.”

The edges of the general’s lips curled into a frown.  _ Why didn’t Snoke tell me himself? I don’t want to hear things from his dog,  _ he thought.

“Yes?”

“You’re to take the  _ Finalizer _ to the Belessar system. The ruling council wishes to form an alliance with the First Order.”

“I see. The Belessians are known for their pretentious attitudes. They’ll only speak with a general.”

“That is correct.”

“And you? I assume the Supreme Leader will be sending you off to do his bidding.”

“I will be coming with you.”

The general’s lip twitched. “In case we need them all murdered? You’re the furthest thing from a diplomat on this ship.”

Kylo Ren paused for a moment before responding. “In case it’s a trap, General.”

Hux frowned, but maintained his calm demeanor. He did not need protection, especially not from a Knight of Ren. Not to mention one that was no longer easily caught in his carefully spun webs. Having Kylo Ren join him on his mission was going to be a problem. A very big problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belessar is a legit SW planet. It's in the Unknown Regions. Oh and, fun story, that cube thing in the General's room is a holocron. In fact, it's Kanan's from Rebels. It has a complete map of the Jedi Temples on it (ironically) but Hux didn't know what it was (only Force users can open them anyways). He found it on a spaceship that he remembers being called the "Phantom" when he was on a mission in his Academy days. It's deactivated, but there was going to be a scene in this story where Kylo touched it and it glowed briefly before Hux stole it back, but it got cut.


	3. Chapter 3

_A diplomatic mission to Belessar and Snoke’s pet has to come along. To keep an eye on me? I have been nothing but loyal to the First Order, and yet Snoke seems to feel as if I need to be “shown my place.” I need to play my cards carefully..._

Hux made his way through empty halls towards his destination. He deserved a break from navigating the politics of the First Order, and what Phasma had deemed a “hobby” seemed to be a good thing to focus on. A left turn and two right ones led him to a door which was locked and required access through a panel. Quickly, he entered the access code and the door slid open, allowing him to pass through.

The room opened up, large in both width and height, and was full of cubed crates made of a dull metal. A few figures in white armor moved around the crates, taking orders from a man dressed in a petty officer’s uniform. They checked the side of the boxes to verify their codes and then opened them, marking down their contents on a datapad. It was hard to determine exactly how many personnel were in the storage space since the rows of crates varied in height - from a single unit tall to double the height of a man - and the width of the space itself was much bigger than even the bridge.

The general kept his head down and turned left, already aware of which crate he was after. It wasn’t that he was doing anything wrong - in fact, the order to transport the relics and files had come directly from Snoke himself. He attempted to remain discreet simply because he had an awful headache and did not want to be bothered by anyone. Sighing to himself, he made a few more turns before stopping.

“General.”

The modulated voice caused Hux’s headache to sharpen for a split second and he found that he was holding his breath.

“Ren.”

A looked the knight up and down, noting the datapad in the other man’s black leather glove-clad hand.

“What are you doing here, General?”

Hux took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to turn and ignore Ren. _I don’t have the time to deal with this right now..._

“If you must know, I’m researching the Clone Wars. The Jedi, the classified military plans of the Separatists, the corruption of the Senate. Unfortunately, the datafile I need has not been converted yet, so I’m here to retrieve it. And you, Ren?”

“My master has sent me for an object he believes to be of great value. It was added to the registry last cycle.”

“Then you better get on with it. Go fetch.”

Kylo Ren put his hands behind his back, still holding the datapad in one.

“I will not be mocked, General. You will find that you can’t control me.”

“Ha!” Hux barked out a cruel laugh. “You are just a child, and no mask will hide that. This is all but an act - an attempt to seem like an adult. Your efforts are useless.”

The man in black took a step forward.

“I’d be careful, if I were you, General.”

“And why’s that? What are you going to do to me? Despite what you may think, I gave sweat and blood to climb the ranks and now command legions of men. You’re nothing more than the Supreme Leader’s overglorified pet. You don’t know what it’s like to work for things, to not get your way. You’re just a temperamental child.”

Hux’s body slammed into the crates behind him, sending a wave of pain across his back. A tight hand wrapped around his throat, holding him in place. For some reason, the general found that his throat was not held so tight as to prevent his breathing, but he couldn’t move.

“How dare you,” he clenched his teeth.

“I warned you to be careful,” Kylo growled.

The general felt the grip around his throat tighten; fingers pressed into the point on his shoulder that met his neck. For a moment, both men stared at each other in silence, neither wanting to talk first.

Hux found himself surprised when Kylo’s choke hold was released and the other man stepped back and huffed. The knight turned and stormed off, going back the way the general had come.

Instinctively, the hux brought his hand up to his neck and massaged the hurting area. Despite the fact that it was sure to leave a bruise, he couldn’t help but smile at the interaction. _As it turns out, Ren still has his limits._

He refocused his attention on the crate he had been looking for, suddenly conscious of his headache once more. After confirming the code on the side of the crate matched the one he wanted, he pressed a small blue button on the box and took a step back. A soft “whishhh” was heard as a side-panel on the crate opened and released pressure. Among other objects sat a small golden rectangular prism about the size of his thumb.

_The datafile. Hopefully this will provide me more information on Anakin Skywalker, the supposed greatest jedi general of the Clone Wars._

He laughed to himself softly.

_Compared to force users like this Skywalker, Kylo Ren is nothing. I wonder if he knows that._

 

* * *

 

The general pushed down on the metal square outlined on his desk and a compartment popped out, from which he was able to withdraw the holofile. Shutting off the holoprojector whose maps he'd been studying, he took one more quick glance around his office before heading off towards the hangars. They had just entered Belessar’s orbit and his shuttle was ready to leave.

Inside the hanger, troops were making their way to and from ships while officers discussed missions and tactics. Mechanics worked busily, repairing some of the TIEs that had been damaged in the latest dogfight with the First Army. Near the center of the hangar, a variety of personnel gathered around three sleek-looking shuttles that we're getting ready to leave. Amongst them stood a man in black robes, neither talking nor preoccupying himself with anything else.

It was the first time that Hux had seen Kylo since their previous argument, and it made his stomach turn. He couldn't bear being reminded of everything that could go wrong with having Kylo accompany him on a diplomatic mission, and even wondered if the force user was sent to make an assassination attempt. The thought of secret orders to kill gave the general a huge headache. From experience, he knew that having the person you're trying to make a deal with killed mid-mission (especially when they're killed by someone in your party) can make the success of the mission extremely unlikely. He also knew that he was more than capable of dealing with such a situation. He just didn't want to.

Without turning to acknowledge the knight, he strode onboard the shuttle to his left. Inside, stormtroopers were settling into their positions as the pilot flipped various switches and knobs on his dashboard. As soon as they noticed them, the troopers gave the general a salute, which he returned in kind before stepping towards the wall of the shuttle, taking hold of a metal rod installed for balance. Not even a minute later, Kylo boarded the shuttle and stood directly opposite of Hux, still not speaking to anyone.

The doors to all three ships closed as the pilots received clearance to leave the _Finalizer_. The trip down to the planet was a smooth one. As they approached the surface, the pilot could be heard talking to the Belessian army which regulated all flight to and from the planet. The pilot’s landing code was accepted and the shuttle began to descend towards the landing pad. The blueish-white lights above the passengers flickered as the ship swayed back and forth subtly in its descent.

Aware that they were close to disembarking, Hux’s thoughts left fierce battles over medical stations that no longer existed and legends that were long dead, and he began to speculate about Ren’s silence. _Perhaps,_ he thought, _he is embarrassed._ As far as Hux was concerned, he himself had come out on top of their little skirmish. _If Kylo thinks differently, he’s either wrong or stupid. Possibly both._

Kylo turned his head slightly towards Hux, his gaze, despite the mask hiding his eyes, clearly on the general. He stood still, simply observing the other man, but his posture was straight and his shoulders back, revealing no signs of intimidation or fear. If he was going to say anything, it was cut short by heavy thud heard as the shuttle touched down on the landing pad. A second later and the back wall of the shuttle moved away from the ship, touching down on the ground and forming a ramp.

Hux turned and marched out and even though sudden increase of light temporarily blinded him, he did not let it show. Ren followed in suit, walking casually behind the general, and the stormtroopers marched out in three straight lines. A group of officers and troopers each left the other shuttles in a similar fashion, and all three sets of personnel made their way towards a man dressed in purple robes accented with gold symbols.

He held his arms out, welcoming them to the grand, tan colored palace behind him. It was extremely large with many towers which were topped by droplet-shaped structures. Surrounding the palace and the landing zone was a vast forest of trees whose leaves were either dark red or black. Soldiers dressed in gold-colored stood behind the man that was waiting for them, protecting him as Kylo Ren was supposedly protecting Hux. As the members of the First Order approached the prince of Belessar, General Hux opened his mouth to speak.

And then chaos ensued.

A blaster went off and a stormtrooper yelled as he was hit and then fell. Before he hit the ground, one of the shuttles exploded in a blaze of fire. Hux whipped out his blaster and fired into the forest that surrounded the platform while ordering his men to do the same. He signaled towards the prince with his left hand, ordering half of his men to cover the Belessian guard while they took their leader to cover. Trooper after trooper fell to the ground, but their side was not the only one suffering loses. Screams were heard from the forest as shots hit the hidden enemy.

“To the palace! Keep your backs towards me!” he barked from the center of the troops.

Just then, another shuttle exploded and parts of it were launched into the air, hitting the third shuttle and damaging that one as well. Distracted by the ship’s destruction, a trooper near the general stopped firing and was hit by the enemy. He left a hole in the formation which allowed a blast to get through, nearly missing Hux and hitting Petty officer Piett instead. The woman cried out as the blast hit her thigh and dropped to one knee.

“Come on,” Hux ordered. He lifted her up by her arm and helped her get it around his shoulder.

Suddenly, he felt an eerie tingling sensation on the back of his neck. He turned his head just in time to see a red blast coming directly at his face. Just as it was about to hit him, it stopped in midair, vibrating in front of his eyes and washing his face in red light.

“Get to the palace, General,” Kylo Ren said through his mask.

The man stood right beside Hux and Piett, an outstretched arm using the force to keep the bolt from hitting the general.

The redhead swallowed and frowned before gripping Piett tightly and continuing towards the palace. He saw the giant door ahead split apart and open, allowing dozens of armor-clad soldiers to run out. _We have won, for now._

 

* * *

 

“You-you’re implying that we had some sort of...involvement in this?” the man in blue robes said with wide eyes.

“I imply nothing,” Hux responded, hands behind his back as he gazed out the palace window. “I’m merely concerned that I, one of the highest ranking members of the First Order, made arrangements to come here and speak with your rulers in person, and my men happened to get attacked when we arrived. Quite a coincidence, don't you think?”

He turned to glare at the attendant who took a deep breath.

“I assure you, General, that we had nothing to do with this. As we speak, our well-trained scouts are searching for the attackers who fled into the forest. We will find them soon.”

“And my ship?”

The attendant grimaced, “I-It appears that it will require some time to fix. A few days, perhaps...The damage it suffered was severe. We wouldn’t advise against flying at the moment anyway. It’s too risky.”

“Very well. I assume we’ll be staying here then.”

“Yes, General. Room has been made for your troops in the guard’s quarters and we've set up space for the other officers. Men as important as yourselves should stay in the diplomats’ wing of the palace, but...”

“But?” Hux crooked a brow.

“We weren't expecting an overnight stay. That area is being renovated...We only have one room ready.”

The general took a deep breath while maintaining a look that could kill, “There aren’t any other rooms?”

“I’m afraid not, sir. Unless one of you would rather stay with the other officers.”

Hux looked at Ren out of the corner of his eye. The man in black said nothing, just stood there. The general was more than aware of Belessian society, and the great shame that it would bring to the First Order to have one of their highest members stay in a room less-than-worthy of him. Despite his contempt of Ren and personal opinion that the man should not have been viewed as someone important, he did not miss the useage of the word “men” in the attendant's speech. It was clear that the Belessians considered Ren an important member of the Order.

“Of course not. If that’s all, I’d like to communicate with my ship before the meeting.”

“Very well, sir,” the attendant said with a bow before leaving.

As soon as the door shut, Ren spoke.

“You don’t actually believe the Belessians are involved, do you?”

“One, perhaps, but not all of them. It’s the same pride forcing us to stay in a room together that ensures that they are not betraying us. When they want to kill, they’re direct about it.”

Hux huffed before bringing out his comm so that he could talk to his crew on the _Finalizer_.

 

* * *

 

_Blast. Now that we have to stay here, they’re taking their sweet time with these negotiations. Prince Frerick is no idiot, but at least he met me halfway on the arms deal._

Hux pushed open the door to the room that he and Ren had to share, noticing its size immediately. It was comfortable enough, and certaintly much larger than his own room aboard the Finalizer. Most notably, it included a sitting area in the large space that opened up to both the left and the right beyond the doorway.

The general's nose twitched at the sight. Like everything else in the castle, the furnishings looked so old. Nothing seemed modern, even when it had modern touches to it. All of the furniture - the two chairs, couch, and table in the sitting area, the bed, and the desk and chair pressed against the right wall - were made of dark brown wood and decorated with orange-red cushions. He rolled his eyes at a thought of how prestigious the Belessians thought it made them seem and strode all the way into the space.

 _At least there's a place for Ren to sleep_ , he thought, noting the couch. He was definitely not going to let the knight anywhere near the canopied bed which rested in the back of the room, in the section of the space which was elevated with two steps. Aside from a nightstand, only a door leading to what had to be the fresher was in that area.

The right wall of the sitting space was constructed of transparisteel with a door that led out to a balcony. At that particular time, the binary sun was setting and warm light flooded the room. It was near the orange light that Hux spotted Ren meditating. The man had stolen a cushion from somewhere, presumably the bed, and sat in deep trance. _To each his own_ , Hux thought as he took his own seat as the desk, determined to record at least some notes about his meeting before moving on to something more relaxing.

The notes were typed onto his holopad in no time, and he found himself browsing through the files he’d recovered. He subconsciously furrowed his brow as he dove deeper into his research, not quite understanding why history played out the way it did. _The jedi were fools, I know that much_ , he thought, _but what happened here? There are too many holes. Even with these personal notes that the count wrote, I can’t piece it all together._ He sorted through what he found, putting aside seemingly irrelevant information about a son, Separatist squabblings, and personal vendettas. _This woman, Ventress, she sounds intriguing. But her story doesn’t help me at the moment..._

“You’re thinking too loudly.”

“Go back to meditating, Ren.”

“Stop thinking so loudly. I can feel your frustration. I won’t kill you in your sleep, General. You’re still needed.”

Hux heard Kylo get up.

“I figured that much out. Snoke sent you on this mission for a reason.”

“I requested to go on this mission.”

“Is that so?” Hux said with venom, looking over his shoulder briefly.

“We may not get along, but you’re a better ally than the other generals.”

The image of Tagge’s dead body flashed through the general’s mind.

“That’s why you let him die.”

Kylo didn’t respond.

“You haven’t changed. Your training was nothing special. You’ve only managed to channel your petulance into savagery.”

A different picture, one of the dead would-be assassins, went through Hux’s head and his stomach went tight briefly.

“You’re getting off topic, General. I won’t be able to meditate unless you calm yourself.”

“I am calm, and I already told you that I am not afraid of you, so get off your high horse.”

“I can sense your stress. Worry. Frustration. Anger, even.”

“I’m placing together pieces of a puzzle. Using my mind, unlike you.”

Even that didn’t faze Ren. Not only was the general annoyed that he couldn’t figure out his problem, he was reminded that Kylo was harder to crack since Snoke trained him.

“What puzzle?”

“The puzzle,” Hux said, standing up. “Of Anakin Skywalker.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Why are you so interested?” the knight growled.

Hux turned to face Ren. _A sudden mood change..._ , the general noted. “Despite being a disgusting jedi, Skywalker was a famed pilot, skilled general, and one of the galaxy’s finest fighters. As a general myself, I am naturally curious about his mysterious disappearance.”

There was a brief pause in their conversation and Hux could feel the tension in the air.

“Anakin Skywalker was a fool and he died the death of one,” Ren replied before storming out of the room.

 

* * *

 

The red and black canopy of the forest looked like a dark sea beneath the three crescent moons. The smallest one, which was also the furthest from the planet, was roughly the same distance to Belessar as the Arkanian moon was to its surface. In the distance, a red haze peeked over the horizon, signaling that the suns would be rising soon. It was still dark out, however, and the sky was as clear as a Rotlackian diamond, and twice as beautiful. Stars belonging to systems far away lit up the sky and twinkled like jewels woven into dark blue silk.

 _One day, when I rule the galaxy, there will be peace,_ Hux, thought to himself as he stood on the balcony, soaking in the tranquil night.

The sound of the door opening behind him cause Hux to snap out of his thoughts and turn around.

“And where have you been?” he questioned, his muscles tightening.

“Busy.”

“Destroying panels? I haven’t seen any here, but I’m sure you found some.”

“Eliminating liabilities. I found the Belessian mole.”

“And did what with him?”

“Interrogated him, of course. Not that he was of any use.”

Hux pursed his lips. “And you killed him?”

“He was a threat to you.”

“Is this some sort of ‘life-debt’ ordeal, Ren? I only saved you because your master told me to.”

“Make no mistake, General,” Kylo said while walking forward. “I will destroy you the moment I no longer find you useful.”

 _I’ve had enough of your threats,_ Hux thought before spitting at Ren’s feet.

Immediately, Ren’s hand flew into the air and the general felt a pressure against his chest, pushing him against the railing. It was hard for him to resist, but he managed to stay upright. Any more pressure from the force user and he would have toppled over the edge and into the forest far below.

“Careful, Ren, your emotions are showing. All this training from Snoke and it’s still the same person underneath...your precious Darth Vader would be disappointed.”

 _That was a stupid idea,_ Hux told himself, ready to face the consequences of his words. He had already begun to calculate ways to prevent his untimely death once he was sent over the edge.

Kylo, however, did not seem to react. He stood there for a moment and did absolutely nothing. Slowly, the force user drew his hand back to his body and released the general from his hold. It was yet another moment before the man shook his head and muttered, “You weren’t mocking me before.”

Hux took a step away from the edge and straightened out his white shirt. He hadn’t put on his uniform coat before going outside, and was suddenly very conscious of how cold the air was. Raising an eyebrow, he silently waited to see what Ren would do.

The knight took off his helmet and held it in his hands, revealing himself to the general for the first time since the events of Starkiller base. His face was different, scarred from his battle with the scavenger girl. Pinkish-brown tissue ran from the right corner of his jaw and over the bridge of his nose. His eyes looked as they had before, but darker - they were the eyes of a man who had seen and done many terrible things.

“You should get it straight,” he said.

Hux’s eyebrow twitched at the sound of the other man’s voice. It was clearly the same voice as the one that came from the mask, but less harsh. This, of course, wasn’t the first time that the general had heard it, but it had been a long time since he had.

“Darth Vader, known previously as Anakin Skywalker, was a fool. Through my master’s guidance, I have seen that. Ben Solo’s entire family were fools who idolized childish things like hope and love. Love too, is for the foolish and weak.”

“But Vader was a master of the dark side, was he not?” Hux asked, the story beginning to click in his mind.

“No. A master would never turn towards the light in the end, especially not for love.”

The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together for Hux. Anakin Skywalker didn’t die. He became Darth Vader. For what reason, the general didn’t know, but he did know that Skywalker turned back to the light in the end, when he died on the second Death Star. It’s true that he was a legend among the members of the First Order, but the last part of Vader’s history was never mentioned. Perhaps those that came after the Empire and set the groundwork for the Order did not want something as controversial as that to be known.

“You say love is foolish,” a sentiment that Hux agreed with, “but you loved your father, did you not?”

Kylo furrowed his brows. “Ben Solo loved his father, and now both of them are gone.”

 _Ren is weak, vulnerable. Showing me a side of himself that will regret showing. And I can use this to my advantage,_ the general thought.

“You don’t feel any remorse, do you? For killing your father in cold blood.”

 

* * *

 

Later that day, once the suns had risen and fallen once more, the general found himself unable to sleep. The bed was comfortable enough, dressed in sheets made of Hunralian silk and pillows stuffed with Chi’Loreese feathers, but it wasn’t enough to coax his body into slumber. He tossed and turned, unable to ignore the snores coming from the couch, nor the thoughts that rose to the front of his mind.

The First Order was growing due to his efforts. He multitasked - acquiring the support of resource-rich planets like Belessar while designing strategic plans to take over those under the control of the New Republic. They were in desperate need of shi crystals, which could only be found on certain worlds. He wasn’t sure whether it was better for them to improve relationships with Rexlar or take over Bakura, but he’d been making plans for the latter.

Sighing, he flipped onto his other side and tried to quiet his mind, but it was of no use. Thoughts of military plans were replaced by those of long-dead jedi who had turned to the dark for no apparent reason. He was still unsure why Kylo Ren left his parents, not that he disagreed with the decision. _They must have done something terrible to cause him to want to murder them,_ he thought to himself. _Then again, I would have killed my father for the success of the First Order. I just wouldn’t have taken my sweet time to do it._

Images of his conversation with Ren filled his mind. He vividly recalled the way that the other man had looked him directly in the eye and said that he felt no remorse.

“I had nightmares. The light, it called to me. But no more. My master’s training made me realize how foolish my dreams were,” Ren said before leaving without another word.

_The Force and the magic that comes from it are nothing against an entire galaxy. But...he is committed..._

Hux drifted to sleep, wondering what training Snoke had for his pet that made him change so much.

 

* * *

 

“Tomorrow.”

“That’s good news sir. Based on the intel that the royal guard has provided us, you should be secure to fly tomorrow. Just in case, we’ll send down another set of shuttles to accompany you.”

“Unfortunately we can’t have TIE fighters this close to the palace. Thank you, Phasma,” Hux said to the miniature blue version of the captain that stood on his holoprojector.

She nodded in turn.

“On another note, I need you to oversee training exercises for the pilots.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, thank you.”

She nodded once more and the light on the silver disk in his hand flickered once before the image of a man appeared.

“Lieutenant Mitaka, how many star destroyers are currently orbiting base-systems?”

“Seventeen _Resurgent-class_ destroyers and twenty-eight _Imperial-class_.”

“And what about the _Malevolent_?”

“It will be fully functional, along with the other two _Ascendant-class_ destroyers, in two months.”

“Excellent. I want you to notify half of the destroyers that they should begin preparations for departure, and let the commanding crew of the _Malevolent_ know that they will join us as soon as the ship is ready. We’re finally going to begin the blockade of Bakura.”

“Uhm...General?”

“What is it, Lieutenant?”

“The Supreme Leader gave explicit orders to halt all progress on the planning of that mission, and the ones for Rexlar and Thyloth, until further notice, sir.”

The general took a deep breath and glared at the hologram.

“I-I’m sorry sir.”

“Very well. That is all, Lieutenant.”

The holoprojector flickered off and Hux found himself nearly crushing it in the palm of his hand. He was going to have to do something about that obstacle once he was back on his ship.

 

* * *

 

Just as he’d told Phasma, the shuttle was ready to go in a day and negotiations had been completed. Hux stood in front of the palace with his men, Prince Frerick, Kylo Ren, and the royal guards, waiting for the additional to shuttles to arrive. The ships descended from the sky and landed safely on the landing zone, and then opened up so that rows of stormtroopers could file out. This time prepared for the possibility of an attack, they lined up and faced the forest with their blasters drawn. Scouts had already confirmed that the forest was clear ahead of time, but they were taking no chances.

The general turned towards the prince, who was wearing purple robes similar to the ones he had on the first day of their arrival, and bowed. He then brought his head up and placed a kiss on either side of the prince’s cheek - a farewell custom of the Belessians. If they hadn’t already been pleased with him as was possible, his recognition of their traditions would have made them love him more.

Prince Frereck returned the favor and took a step back, the small golden bells tied into his long, wavy brown hair twinkling as he moved.

“Thank you, my friend, for your visit. I am quite pleased with the resolutions that we have come to. Our people will long remember the greatness of General Valaros Hux,” he said the last phrase with a gentle nod and small hand gesture towards the general.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hux could’ve sworn that he saw Kylo Ren turn and look at him. _This may be the first time that he’s heard my given name_ , he thought.

The redhead bowed once more before ordering his men to make their way towards the shuttles. As soon as the words left his lips, a chill ran up his spine and he had the inclination to turn his head. Unsure why he felt that way, he turned to look behind him, which is when he saw it. A man - one of the royal guards - had pulled out a metallic blaster and was aiming it directly at Hux. He missed, but only because a mysterious force had already knocked the general to the ground.

Everything happened in slow motion.

One.

A red lightsaber flashed to life, washing the scene with a scarlet glow, and the distinct humming sound which belonged to the weapon met the general’s ears.

Visions flooded his mind - images of a dark room and the sound of a man screaming. And feelings accompanied this picture too: fatigue, frustration, and anger.

Two.

Jumbled voices yelled as the men in white armor realized what was happening and turned towards the would-be assassin, drawing their own blasters all too slowly.

Hux saw a hand, his own hand, shake the shoulder of an unconscious raven-haired man who refused to wake up. He muttered and yelled about a struggle and the choices that had to be made, face distorted with pain, and the general could do nothing about it.

Three.

The prince cried and stumbled backwards while the guards near him moved to defend their king. The other members turned on the traitor, drawing their own uniquely designed blasters from their belts.

The man relaxed as Hux touched his cheek, calming down at the physical contact. He raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t deny the pleasant warmth that met his hand. Hux thought about what was necessary to sleep, and how it reminded him of something. He sat down and placed a cheek on the orange cushion as he stroked the man’s face.

Four.

The man himself, the wretched defector, yelled something that couldn’t quite be comprehended but sounded like a death threat, before falling backwards towards the ground himself, dead before he hit it.

The satisfaction of seeing the tension in the man’s face gradually dissolve took him to another place - one where he was but a kid and a kind, bearded man placed a small loth-cat in his arms. It was a very different time then, and he was a different person, but it felt the same. The familiarity relaxed him, and his eyes closed.

Five.

Five heartbeats, five seconds, and the assassin was dead.

It only was then that Hux noticed the eyes of everyone turn towards him, and he saw the blaster in his hand. He looked at it, and then at Kylo, the man who had saved him, and experienced something warm spark inside his heart - something that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. All of a sudden, an immense pain in the back of his head took over and the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my three favorite chapters <3
> 
> PS: Can you guess the name of Hux's loth-cat?
> 
> Art by @iwanttoplayguitar who you can find at www.iwanttoplayguitar.tumblr.com (more art in Chapter 7)


	5. Chapter 5

Valaros Hux woke up in the medbay with his head throbbing. Flashes of what had happened entered his mind one at a time until he had pieced together the entire situation. Ren had saved him, but being thrown out of the way suddenly had caused him to hit his head. Relying totally on instinct, he took out his opponent while experiencing memories of the previous night. And then, something had changed inside of him. 

His stomach filled with butterflies as he thought about the change - the spark - and he had the uncomfortable feeling that in a very short amount of time, he’d find that nothing was ever going to be the same.

 

* * *

 

“Supreme Leader,” Hux began as he stood facing the hologram.

“I am pleased with your recovery.”

The general gave a polite nod. “Thank you. It was a minor injury. Rest assured that I am fully capable of fulfilling my duties.”

“I trust that you are,” Snoke responded, although Hux didn’t believe him. “Why do you seek audience with me?”

“It’s about Bakura. After much consideration, I believe we need to implement our plans.”

Snoke folded his hands together, “I gave the order to put those plans on hold.”

Hux kept his composure, “Supreme Leader, it needs to be done soon.”

The large figure sighed before speaking once more. “I will have General Tarkin oversee the blockade.”

The general’s eyebrow twitched. “General Tarkin, while skilled in combat, does not have the experience that I do.”

_ That’s why I lead the majority of the fleet and not her. _

“I request that-”

“Silence! You dare question me?”

Hux took a deep breath. “No, sir. I’d recommend General Tagge for this, but due to his untimely death, I am the only one with significant experience in these matters.”

It was a lie, and Hux knew it, but the Bakura mission was too important to the Order to risk failure due to an inexperienced general.

“You may have the mission.”

Hux bowed before beginning to leave.

“You will not fail me.”

_ I never do, _ Hux thought to himself as he made his way to exit the chamber, passing Kylo on his way to the door.

“Master, I have learned of her whereabouts.”

“The girl?”

“Yes, Master.”

The rest of the conversation was sealed behind a heavy door, but what he had heard was enough to send a surge of explosive heat through his chest.

 

* * *

 

“Is it really that bad?”

Hux blinked and met Phasma’s eyes. She was a handsome woman, if not intimidating, without her helmet on.

“Excuse me?”

“The caf. Is it really that bad? You’re making a face.”

The general shook his head, realizing all too late that he’d been dwelling on his conversation with Ren from the previous cycle, before the knight embarked on his mission.

“You’ll be finally leaving my ship.”

“Careful not to get yourself killed, General,” Kylo had responded through his mask.

Hux tried to keep his mouth shut, but his chest was threatening to explode. “Why do you care so much about that girl?”

“Jealous, General?”

The redhead curled his lips downward, ignoring how his cheeks grew a little hot, “The petty emotions that you rely on are beneath me. It was merely a question.”

_ I wonder,  _ Hux thought,  _ if he keeps it a secret because he thinks I’ll kill her. Just like when he thought I’d destroy the droid to spite him. It doesn’t seem that way though. _

“I can train her, and if I find her, I find my old master. That will be two less jedi in the galaxy for you to deal with.”

“I guess it is that bad,” Phasma’s voice said. “You’ve started drinking more since the blockade started.”

Hux shook his head, broken out of his thoughts once more, and resolved to think about something else.

“Captain, what do you think of love?”

“It’s a ridiculous thing that sends good soldiers on foolish missions towards their end.”

“You speak as if you have firsthand experience.”

“I once believed that love was worth my time. JM-5264 was his number. I was wrong.”

“Hmm. There’s a reason we discourage such useless things among our ranks.”

_ In fact, the stormtrooper training program shows the troops what a horrid thing love is. We learned our lesson about explicitly ordering them not to love, but I found other ways to show them the truth. And yet, someone as powerful as Anakin Skywalker turned because of it. It makes you wonder... _ An image of Kylo at the gate of Belessar flooded his mind, accompanied by that same spark that the events there had triggered. The general took a sip of his caf and pushed the picture and feeling out of his mind.  _ Love is a fool’s game - one which I will never play. I learned at a young age, like my troops- _ He blinked a few times as his thought process went in an entirely new direction, and nearly choked on his drink as he realized how traitorous his thoughts were.  _ I’ve created the perfect troops by conditioning their minds from birth, but...has the same thing happened to me? _

The thought caused his skin to burn from the inside out, and he decided to not dwell on it any more. It was a stupid thought, he told himself, and he was better off continuing his research on Skywalker or dealing with the blockade.

 

* * *

 

He slipped off a glove and touched the cold metal of his desk with his palm - attempting to figure out more details about Skywalker/Vader had caused him to acquire an irritating headache. Several more holofiles had been converted into the system, and yet none of them had any more information on the jedi. There were some very interesting schematics of weapons that had never seen the light of day (finding those had caused him to smile) and data on uncharted systems, but nothing else of note. 

A beeping noise met his ears and he looked up at the thin blue screen protruding from his desk. At that moment, it showed several of the diagrams that had been found in the old data. Off to one side of the screen were notes on the history of the Clone Wars and the jedi. In the top-right corner of the rectangle, a red dot blinked in harmony with the beeps. The general pressed his finger to the circle.

“General Hux speaking.”

“General, the footage you requested has come in.”

“Excellent, send it to my holopad.”

“Yes, sir,” the voice replied before the red dot vanished.

In a matter of seconds, the disk on the general’s desk made low beeping noise. Hux took it into his hand and played the video.

A hologram of Kylo Ren stood with his lightsaber ignited before a kneeling man who cried out in terror.

“No! Please! Please don’t! I have a family,” the man said through tears.

“You should have thought of that before acting against the First Order.”

“I’ll tell you anything - anything that you want! Please, please don’t do this.”

Hux heard sobbing in the background, belonging to someone younger than the man.

“What do you have to tell?” Ren asked, mock curiosity in his modulated voice.

“The First Army, they’re planning something. I don’t know what, but I’ve heard the rumors. That man that you were after, and the girl, they talked about it. I’m sure I could remember more! Please!”

“I don’t need you to tell me.”

Ren’s hand shot out and the man’s eyes went wide as he began to scream and jerk his body, unable to escape his restraints. He squeezed his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to fight back, but it only made the knight twist his palm, evoking even louder screams from the poor man’s mouth.

“You don’t know anything,” Kylo said as he dropped his hand and lifted his saber up.

“Nooo! Nooo!” a little girl screamed, running straight for the man.

Kylo shoved her backwards with a flick of his hand, allowing enough time for stormtroopers to run onto the hologram and hold the child back.

“Please!” the man begged as Kylo lifted his lightsaber once more, about to bring it down.

Hux didn’t realize how fast his own heart was beating.

“Daddy!” the child screamed before a trooper covered her mouth.

Kylo’s head jerked a little sideways, but he corrected himself immediately, and cut the man’s head clean off.

The hologram stopped there and Hux turned it off, not sure what to think. A tremendous weight in his heart, accompanied by a strong desire to throw up, prevented him from reflecting smugly on how he was right to order that anyone connected to the first order be recorded lest Ren kill them. In fact, he didn’t really think anything at all. He merely sat there, staring blankly at the desk in front of him.

 

* * *

 

While the discomfort in his stomach had settled down considerably, his heartbeat would only remain slow for a few moments at a time. He had tried everything to help quiet his mind so that he could sleep, but it was to no avail. What happened to Anakin Skywalker was as much of a mystery as it had been cycles before, and the blockade was going smoothly. The only thoughts left to think about were ones of death and disorder. Never before had he felt anything when it came to striking down the enemies of the first order. The brutal deaths of the mercenaries and the father had hit struck a nerve inside him, but, perhaps, they weren’t the cause of it all.

Snoke’s intense glare at the address, despite being ever-so-brief, burned in the eye of his mind. Even then, he could recall how the Supreme Leader’s dominating hologram and praised General Tagge, and not Hux. And then, there were the meetings. With each conversation, the Supreme Leader became more and more distant from Hux, barely looking at him at all during the last one. The air had felt chill and Hux had quite possibly clenched his jaw the entire time.

_ If I don’t do something soon, the galaxy will slip through my fingers. My men are loyal, trained to be that way...taught... _

He sighed, unsure of himself. His train of thought continued and he became more tense.  _ I won’t be around to maintain the galaxy if the First Army gets to me first. _

Memories came to him: memories of falling and hitting hard ground before finding himself underneath a heavy mass of black cloth. Visions of a red blaster bolt nearly piercing his skull, only stopped by an outstretched hand covered in a black glove. The unique sensation of being pushed backwards by an invisible force, and the sight of the person that caused it. So much filled his mind as he remembered, and his heart felt empty - lacking something of great importance.

_ I need to go to sleep, _ he told himself, but his mind had other plans. Instead of allowing him the pleasure of unconsciousness, it brought forward thoughts of a night where a man had been twisting and turning, dreaming of something he swore he’d stopped dreaming of, and Valaros had been his comfort.

 

* * *

 

“The tie fighters intercepted them with ease and sent them crashing back towards the planet.”

Hux nodded, pleased with the news. “It seems as though Major Veers did an excellent job during the last cycle.”

He drifted back into thought and massaged his temples. Night after night without sleep had started proving to cause horrible headaches.

“Do you ever wonder if it’s all worth it? All of this. The bloodshed and war.” his heart skipped a beat as his mind caught up with his mouth.

_ I didn’t mean to say that aloud. _

Phasma cocked her helmeted head towards him while they continued walking. “Of course it’s worth it.”

_ Is it? Snoke is all but done with me and the First Army wants my head. _

“Of course. I misspoke. The First Order will bring order to a galaxy ruled by fools. We will bring back the glory of the Empire.”

The captain moved her head once more to face the direction they were headed. She couldn’t have possibly known that the words left a sour taste in Hux’s mouth.

_ I don’t know if I even believe this anymore. Perhaps...perhaps I’m not better than my troops.  _

A chill ran over his body, and he brushed the thought off once more.

“You should get rest, General,” Phasma told him.

“I’ll try, Captain.”

Every time he thought of rest, he heard the screams of a small child, and saw the image of a man with raven hair and a scar.

 

* * *

 

The door swooshed open and Ren entered Hux’s office. His black robes were dirty and torn, covered in blood and dust, but he held himself high, not in the least bothered by his appearance.

“You requested my presence, General?”

Hux pressed a dark blue button on the side of his desk and the screen he had been observing slid down into the metal it had been sitting on. He sighed and folded his hands together in front of him.

“Take off that ridiculous mask.”

For once, Kylo Ren did as he was told, and raised both hands to lift the thing off of his head. He strode over towards the desk and stopped in front of it, setting the helmet down with a loud  _ thunk _ . Not taking his dark eyes off of the general, he waited for the other man to speak.

“I want to know.”

“About?”

“Anakin Skywalker.”

Ren pressed his eyebrows together and tightened his jaw. “Why?”

“You said that he was a fool. He turned in the end for love.”

“You want to know about that?”

“No, I want to know why he turned in the first place.”

Kylo slammed his hands on the desk while maintaining his gaze, “It. Does. Not. Matter.”

Hux stood, “Tsk. Back to your old self so quickly. Did the child get to you?”

Ren pulled back as if the desk was on fire, “That’s none of your business.”

“Everything is my business. I think the Leader would like to know if his star pupil was once more called by the light.”

“And what of his most talented general? How would he feel knowing that you are torn by compassion.”

Once more, Hux found his heart skipping a beat. However, he managed to keep his voice calm “What do you mean?”

_ How powerful are his mind reading abilities? Does he see what haunts my dreams? _

“You know what I mean...on the diplomatic mission,” Kylo trailed off as his eyes dropped towards the ground.

The images of that night rushed into Hux’s mind. 

“I just wanted to get sleep.” His volume matched Kylo’s.

Neither spoke, but the air was not static as it had been at their last standstill.

The general sighed, “Are you going to tell me about Skywalker or not?”

Ren met Hux’s eyes, “It was love. He turned because he wanted to protect the woman that he loved. An old legend, on top of the treacherous dealings of the jedi, coaxed him towards the dark. A legend of immortality...”

“He was a fool,” Ren snapped suddenly.

Hux sat down back into his chair and let out a deep breath, “For loving? Is it really that foolish, or is that just what you’ve been told.” He paused, “Perhaps...it can’t always be helped.”

Kylo blinked a few times before licking his lips and glancing at his helmet. As he reached to collect it, he spoke.

“Perhaps...”

His brown eyes looked Hux up and down once.

“...it can’t..........Valaros.”

He turned and left without another word.

 

* * *

 

The general reviewed the data once more, but it only caused him to shake his head and sigh. The  _ Malevolent _ had arrived, but there was some delay in the production of the other two  _ Ascendant-class _ star destroyers. Namely, the ships had a weakness that had not been spotted until after construction had been completed. Hux, along with the rest of the generals, resolved to have the repairs done over Bakura, since the ship was already there, but keep the other two where they were stationed until fixed.

“Signs are pointing away from an attack, and it’s doubtful that they know the state of the  _ Malevolent _ , but the messages we’re receiving are cryptic,” Piett told Hux.

“Have our tacticians continue working on them. We need to know what the New Republic is planning,” he replied.

Despite having to deal with the delays, the blockade was extremely effective. The First Army was too small to lay siege on the blockade, and the planet defenseless (though stubborn) without a navy of its own. Matters had improved for Hux since he found that he and Ren had fallen into a silent alliance. Often times, he found the other man on the bridge when the general was on duty. They fought less, and some sort of familiarity seemed to be developing between them. Respect, perhaps, or mutual doubt. Either way, Hux found himself sleeping better, even though he still dealt with issues of Snoke and the First Army. Ren was occasionally found destroying panels, as he had in the past, but it didn’t faze the general. Hux told himself that it was because a volatile knight was easier to manipulate, and ignored the release of tension he felt when thinking that it meant that Snoke’s training was losing its effects.

“General.”

Hux turned to his left, “Yes, Lieutenant?”

“We have news, sir, from the Supreme Leader. It’s about the Knights of Ren.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, JM-5264 liked to go by "Jamie"


	6. Chapter 6

The general joined Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma in Hangar Thirteen and stood beside him, taking his standard posture, hands clasped behind his back. A few stormtroopers stood behind them, blasters pressed to their chests. At the entrance of the hangar, a ship flew in and began to land.   _ Looks as I expected it to, _ Hux thought to himself.

From the front, the spacecraft was shaped like a diamond with points going up, down, and to either side. All four surfaces of the ship’s exterior met into a point at the front. As it set down, it rotated to the side, looking like a triangle from that angle. The all black ship had silver accents, and a door that slid open on the side. Six men in black stepped out of the door and onto the ramp that extended from the ship once it had landed.

Kylo stepped forward and placed his left hand over his right fist, and they followed in suit. He turned back towards Hux and headed out of the hanger, his men trailing behind him.

“Captain Phasma can show your men to their quarters,” Hux said as Ren approached.

“No need,” Ren’s modulated voice replied.

He brushed past Hux without bothering to turn his head, and would have bumped into the general had the redhead not moved first. None of the other knights commented, they just exited with Kylo.

Hux stared after them, a terrible force exploding in his chest. Taking deep breaths, he waited for them to leave before nodding to the stormtroopers, who responded with a salute before returning to their posts. With Phasma gone to oversee important matters, he decided that it was best to head back to his chamber before another cycle on the bridge. He strode past the crew hard at work in the hanger and made his way through the halls back to his room.

Once in his chamber, he washed himself and dressed in a soft, loose black pants and a white undershirt. Settling down at his desk, he began reading his notes on his datapad. After Ren’s display, Anakin Skywalker was the last man he wanted to think about, but the other notes that he’d put aside were another story. The count whose personal records were found in the holofiles led a very interesting life.

His stories ranged from deadly battles to dull summits. There was one particular person that the Separatist leader mentioned often - an apprentice. Hux had read some about her before, but had put it aside. She was called Asajj Ventress and was a member of the once powerful Nightsisters. The count spoke of her talent, especially in dueling with two sabers, and her promise as a dark jedi. She, however, was left to die once she herself became a threat to the Sith.

_ Will Snoke rid himself of Kylo once the knight becomes too powerful? _

He was aware that the Knights of Ren were not sith, but the philosophies of the dead religion seemed to apply. Both were fueled by deep passion, and took what they wanted. It was not a far leap, Hux thought, to assume that perhaps Snoke would feel threatened by Kylo as the sith did with Ventress. His stomach turned at that notion and his chest felt as if it was home to the start of a storm. Turning off his datapad, he got up and finished getting ready for bed.

Sleep, however, did not come easily. And when it finally did, brought along vivid dreams of fury and rain. Crashing thunder echoed throughout the heavens as the ground was berated by a flood of water pouring from the skies. The night was illuminated by deadly flashes amongst the clouds, although the downpour obscured his vision. He couldn’t breathe. He was drowning in the rain - suffocating at the bottom of an ocean of raindrops. He grasped at his throat, and the sky split in half, the clouds fading away. The entire world spun around in circles, making him so dizzy that he fell to the ground.

When he was finally able to open his eyes, he was at the entrance of a cave. The only hint of the storm he’d been trapped in was the petrichor in the air. He looked around, unsure where he was. The place was unfamiliar to him, as was the planet. Unlike the storm, it was something new. While searching his environment, he spotted a young man with curly black locks.

His face was familiar, but slightly blurry. No matter how hard Hux squinted, he couldn’t make out who it was. The boy jerked his eyes around and checked behind over his back multiple times before heading into the cave. Hux followed, hiding himself behind rocks along the way. The young man walked for a while before checking the path behind him once more and smiling. Kneeling on the ground, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Grandfather, show me again.”

An old voice responded, one that Hux had heard many, many times before, and then everything changed.

This time, he found himself in a memory. Snow flew through the sky in a flurry as he rushed towards a man and pointed, barking orders at the stormtroopers following him. They hurried to gather up the fallen knight and bring him back to their ship. Hux followed and the door shut behind them as the ship took off from the ground. The few stormtroopers with him, including Captain Phasma, gathered towards the front of the ship, but he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes out of the back window. The great machine which has been his masterpiece exploded as they hit hyperspace. Only the feeling of a hand on his wrist brought him out of his trance.

With a cold stare, he looked down at the man lying next to him.

“You failed,” Hux told Kylo.

The knight sighed and turned his head away from the general and released the grip he had on the other man’s wrist. “We do what we must to ensure change.”

“You’re delirious.”

Hux woke up in a cold sweat and sat up on his bed, grabbing at his right wrist where he could still feel the warmth of Kylo’s touch. He hadn’t thought anything of it then, but, then again, things had changed drastically. The general took several deep breaths, slowing down his heart rate. The room was dark and cold and empty, but his wrist and heart were warm.

_ WHEEEEW WHEEEEW WHEEEEW WHEEEEW _

“All personnel, report to your stations. We are under attack. Assailants have infiltrated the ship.”

Red lights flickered on inside the room as alarms blared at full volume. 

Hux threw off his covers and dressed quickly, pulling on his boots as he stepped out the door of his chambers. His blaster tucked into his greatcoat, he made his way to the bridge. Stormtroopers ran by him in all directions, ready to do their jobs to apprehend their intruders.

His comm lit up. “General Hux, come in.”

“I’m on my way. Close off Sections Delta-Six through Seven. We need to limit access to the detno-cogtrollers and the engines.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve located enemies in four sections of the ship and are locking them in.”

“Good,” he clicked a button on his wrist-comm.

“Phasma, send squads to apprehend the enemies, and to protect Sections Alpha-Five through Ten as well as the bridge. We don’t want to risk a group of them slipping by to those areas.”

“Yes, sir.”

The channel turned off just as he entered the bridge.

“Mitaka, find out how they got on board. If they can slip past our defense systems, we have a problem.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Kort, are the other ships under attack?”

“Seven of them are.”

Hux snarled.

“The  _ Malevolent _ ?”

“No sir.”

He huffed.

“At least there’s that. Inform the other ships that I want the attackers taken  _ alive _ . They are to be interrogated.”

“Should we exterminate them once we’re done?”

Hux paused for a moment, about to give the standard order to have them killed, but a memory of a weeping girl shouting “Daddy!” rang inside his head. He took a deep breath.

“No. Keep them alive.”

 

* * *

 

The general blinked a few times. Between his dreams and the attack, he hadn’t received a single decent hour of sleep. He had tried to return to bed once the infiltrators had been captured, but his mind kept him awake. The clever way in which they had managed to board the ship bothered him. He felt as though he should have been able to prevent it. And, to make matters worse, most of the assailants had died during the attack. Those that were left had very little to tell, even when face to face with Kylo Ren himself. The most that the First Order had gathered was that the attack was planned by the First Army as a spy/infiltration mission. They were hoping to take out the engines of the destroyers and extract the plans for the  _ Ascendant-destroyer _ .

Hux blinked again.

“Did you mishear me? I said that I want to see the prisoners.”

“No, uhm, sir. It’s just that, the prisoners are gone.”

“Gone?” he said, pursing his lips.

“Yes, sir. Captain Phasma gave the order to exterminate them.” 

“Very well then, trooper.”

Turning, he mentally set his destination for the quarters of Phasma’s quarters. He passed through several halls and was waiting for the lift when the master of the Knights of Ren strode up to him. The general didn’t even bother to turn and acknowledge the man. As soon as the doors to the lift opened, he moved to get inside of it, but was stopped by a hand tightly grabbing his arm.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glared at Kylo Ren.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Careful, General.”

Hux turned his head more and looked Ren up and down. The other man’s words were soft, and actually sounded...genuine. Despite his efforts to ignore the concern that he heard in Ren’s voice, his mind took note and his heart filled with a soothing warmth.

“Why, Kylo?” 

For some reason, the general felt that it was appropriate the use the knight’s first name.

“Just stay safe Valaros.”

He let go of Hux’s arm and walked back in the direction that he had come from. Hux sighed as he watched after the knight and then looked at the open doors of the lift. Talking another deep breath, he stepped inside and waited for the doors to close.

“Bridge.”

When the doors opened again, he found himself face to face with three of the Knights of Ren. Silently, they stood there and looked at him, not budging. Then, the one in the middle moved to the side to allow the general through. Taking a deep breath, Hux moved through the knights and noticed as their helmets tracked him the entire way. Without any reason, a chill moved up his spin and spread through his arms.

 

* * *

 

When the first explosion went off, General Hux had not been thinking about a Separatist leader from a time period well before his own, a lost son which the general had found the history of, a legendary jedi knight and his apprentice the rebellion leader, or the weapons that he was eager to have built. He was thinking of a what it meant to have freedom, to love, and to rule.

The bomb tore apart a corridor in close proximity to the bridge and knocked the general, along with many of the officers, off their feet. Even before he had regained his footing, the redhead began shouting orders to his officers.

“Damage reports! Are there intruders? Deploy the ties from the hanger to circle the ship!”

Through the large transparisteel windows, he saw explosions detonate on several of the other star destroyers.

“Get the commanders of all the other ships on the comms!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Sir, there are no signs of-”

The second explosion went off, shaking the bridge without knocking everyone over. It was further away, near one of the hangars.

“-intruders.”

The general’s eyes widened at that news.

“No...,” he said under his breath before clenching his fist and yelling.

“ALERT ALL STAR DESTROYERS. DEPLOY TIES IMMEDIATELY.”

He turned towards a woman in front of a blue screen.

“Piett, do you have the commanders?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let them know that the ‘spies’ we dealt with were the ones that planted these bombs. It was a trap.”

She turned to complete his orders.

“Major Veers, you have the bridge. I need to talk to the Supreme Leader.”

Hux marched out of the bridge, gripping onto the hallway walls whenever needed as the explosions rocked the ship. Finding the chamber he was looking for, he punched in the access code and stepped through. The room was bigger than his chambers but not nearly as big as the assembly room he had confrenced with Snoke in on Starkiller base. It had a high roof and a round holoprojector towards the back of the room. The holoprojector glowed with an eerie blue-gray light, clearly functioning, but Snoke did not appear as he should have.

Hux walked back towards the door and found the panel on the interior of the room, but nothing he did worked. Jabbing the surface of the pad, he tried one more thing. He looked back over his shoulder at the holoprojector and heard a noise, but nothing happened. The noise, unrelated to the projector, was the door opening. Kylo Ren stepped through and turned towards the general.

“Why isn’t Snoke answering?”

He seemed to be about to answer when something stopped him.

“What is it?”

“The girl.”

“What? We’re under attack, Ren.”

“The girl, she’s here.”

In that moment, Hux’s comm beeped and he pressed it to let the transmission through.

“Sir, X-Wings are entering the system from hyperspace. The TIEs are headed to engage them as we speak, but-it’s the fleet! The First Army’s fleet is here!”

“Have the undamaged destroyers move into Xalt Formation behind the damaged destroyers. We need to evacuate.”

He shut the transmission off and looked up at Kylo.

“Get your priorities straight, Ren. Last time you ran after her, my base became a star.”

“I will make this right. I can feel it,” Kylo said, marching out of the room.

The general let out a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder at the holoprojector once more, shaking his head as he turned back towards the door and left.

_ I need to get to my shuttle, _ he thought as personnel rushed past him in every direction, evacuating themselves.

He rushed through the winding halls, still giving commands to the other ships through his wrist-comm. A loud  _ boom _ went off somewhere nearby to his right, and he was launched backwards into a wall. Planting one foot firmly on the ground, he forced his body upright with his hands and kept moving, unsure how long they had before the ship came crashing down towards the planet. The hangar his ship sat in was only a few empty hallways away from him when he found himself face to face with three men in black robes and masks.

“You need to evacuate, or find your master,” he said, coming to a stop a few feet from them.

“On the contrary,” a modulated voice with a rare accent said, “we have another mission to fulfill.”

Hux’s brows pressed together - he understood the message clearly, but did not want to believe it. From inside his greatcoat, his blaster brushed against his side.  _ Let’s hope they’re not as well-trained as Ren, _ he thought.

“Move.”

One of the knights snickered and reached for the hilt of the lightsaber attached to his belt. The general, however, only frowned while standing his ground.

The knight flicked his wrist out and his red saber lit up with a noise which Hux found all-too familiar.

Hux took a deep breath and reached for his blaster quickly, his trained fingers finding the trigger in no time. It was such a simple act, a deed meant to protect himself. Whether or not it worked was one thing, but at least it wasn’t treachery. His finger pressed down on the trigger, blaster pointed directly at the knight with the ignited lightsaber, firing a green blast...and missing.

The general was knocked onto his left side, losing his positioning as the blaster went flying from his hand, and the blast hit the roof of the hall. More lightsabers ignited, as could be determined by their distinct sound. He ignored the pain in his side and the way his hands burned when they broke his fall, and reached out for the blaster before rolling onto his side to face the knights and defend himself. What he saw was not what he expected.

A girl - the one that Kylo Ren had been so interested in - dueled all three of them at once with a green double-bladed lightsaber. Standing between two of the knights, she countered their attacks with skill. The third knight tried to lunge at her, but she forced him into a wall, his body going limp as he slid down to the ground. It dawned on Hux that it wasn’t the knights who had used the force on him. He sat there, blaster ready, but unsure who to shoot first. The girl spun around, deflecting an attack from the knight to Hux’s right while slamming her foot into the other knight’s stomach. The kick sent him backwards towards the ground where he slammed his head pretty hard, and he lost his grip on his lightsaber, so she took the opportunity to snatch it. With only one opponent left, she easily won, slashing the knight across the chest with her blade when he left himself open.

The girl, lightsaber washing her body with a faint green glow, turned and looked at Hux and the blaster that he had pointed at her. She wore a single high bun in her hair with long strands of hair hanging below it. Her hazel eyes pierced into his soul, analyzing him, thinking. They were the eyes of someone who had committed themselves to something that they truly believed in. Her deep brown layered robes which crossed over chest, and the belts at her hips and waist, were the clear mark of a Jedi. She held the image of true warrior.

The general’s eyes left hers and focused on her lightsaber briefly before returning. She followed, glancing down at her saber and then back at him. Hux was about to say something when her lightsaber turned off and flew out of her hand.

The knight that had been taken out first had regained consciousness and stood up, igniting her own saber as she held the Jedi’s. As she stood up, she laughed as the defenseless woman.

“Now, Jedi, meet your death,” she said as she lunged forward.

Hux’s heart raced, his chest feeling hollow and full at the same time. Thoughts warred to take control of his mind. Thoughts of speeches and firing a weapon as powerful as a star, of a dead general lying with blaster wounds in his chest, of millions of voices crying out as their system was torn to pieces, and of the face of a little girl crying. Amongst the chaos of his memories and emotions, a voice rang clear in his head.

“We do what we must to ensure change.”

He pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they said that there was no way that Rey could be in a Kylux fic. Surprise!


	7. Chapter 7

A green blaster bolt erupted from the weapon and flew through the air, hitting the knight square in the chest. Before she could react, Valaros pulled the trigger several more times, ensuring her demise. The jedi girl snatched up her lightsaber and looked at Hux, her eyes wide as her eyebrows pinched together. In that moment, her youth betrayed her. Only the sound of footsteps approaching seemed to break her of her trance.

“Why?” she asked quickly.

_You’re the only hope of defeating Snoke and the order that wants to destroy the galaxy, instead of bringing peace to it. I’ll never rule, and I was never meant to. But you, despite your foolish ideals and inexperienced ways, will leave your mark on the stars._

“It doesn’t matter. Go, girl.”

She rushed to the right, but turned briefly to look back at the general.

“Thank you.”

Suddenly, something clicked in Hux’s mind. Her skill in the force, the planet that she’d been found on, and the personal records he’d come across when searching for a Separatist’s lost family.

“It’s too soon for that, Countess Dooku. Now go!”

She blinked twice before leaving and he lifted himself up from the ground, holding a blaster in his right hand and using his left elbow to press against his injured side. As he had suspected, the footsteps belonged to the remaining three knights.

They rounded the corner and entered the hall from Hux’s left, noticed their fallen comrades, and ignited their sabers.

“I do not intend to be disposed of, nor will I be a slave to this institution for any longer.”

He thought of how he had trained his troops, and how his father had raised him, and finally allowed the thoughts to remain in his mind.

“Republic scum,” one of the knights muttered.

“Traitor!”

The corner of Hux’s lips turned up and he gave a short laugh, “They aren’t much better, but they aren’t the ones trying to kill me at the moment.”

Once more he turned and raised his blaster to defend himself, ready to do what it took to get off the ship alive, and once more he was stopped.

Kylo Ren marched into the hall from behind the general and yelled.

“Stop!”

“The order came to us from Snoke himself,” one of the knights responded taking a step forward.

Kylo stood behind and to the right of the general without responding.

Noting Kylo’s reaction, the knight turned back to the general and lunged, blade out.

Before the general could fire back in response, a gloved hand pushed him to the side and Kylo Ren deflected his brother’s blade upwards with his own cross-saber. Kylo then used his left hand to knock one of the other knights into the third, while slashing at the knight who’d first engaged him. While the other two knights recovered, he dueled with the knight before him. Every attack against him was met with a parry, and every attack of his own was deflected, until it seemed as though he decided that he was tired of playing by the rules. His left hand pushed out and up, moving the arm that his opponent was using to duel back and towards the ceiling. Before the knight could recover, Kylo stabbed him through the heart and let his body fall to the ground.

“What are you doing?!” Hux called out, moving his eyes between Kylo and the dead man.

The other two knights engaged him from both sides, forcing him to combine lightsaber and force techniques to defend himself. He made a mistake, however, and let one of his opponent’s too close - close enough to cut a line through his helmet. Kylo responded only by throwing it off and swinging his lightsaber at the knight that did it.

“Apparently,”

He found his opening, cutting one of the knight’s heads clean off.

“Making the same foolish mistake as my grandfather.”

Hux’s heart nearly stopped at Kylo’s words. The flash of lightsabers, the sounds of alarms in the distance, the smell of burnt material...all of it suddenly disappeared in a haze. The only thing he saw was a raven-haired man with a scar defending him, and the only thing he heard was Kylo’s voice in his mind, repeating those terrible, terrible words.

The sight of a red lightsaber making contact with Kylo’s torso brought Valaros back to the battle, although the flutter in his heart and the soft warmth in his chest remained. The master of the Knights of Ren stepped backwards, hand over the wound, and let out a deep, throaty breath. He lunged at the remaining knight and slammed his lightsaber down, only to have it blocked by the knight’s own blade. The masked man moved a foot backwards, fighting hard against the force with which Kylo channeled into his cross-saber. They were at a standoff, their blades crossed as they both tried to outdo the other.

And then the knight fell to the ground with a hole in his chest made by a blaster.

“Let’s go,” Hux said, slinging Kylo’s arm over his shoulder.

_We’ll have to take the escape pods. We can’t risk running into someone else ready to kill us._

The injured men made their way through the hallways towards the closest escape pod station. Luckily enough, one was close by. Hux helped Ren lean against a wall and then ran to a panel, checking to see if there were any free pods. He sighed and gave a weak smile when he saw that one remained, and the two didn’t hesitate to take it. They knew that the ship was going to fall from the planet’s gravitational orbit at any moment.

They shut the doors quickly and launched the pod, Hux unable to stop himself from staring out the window at the destruction of his ship. However, just as they were clear from the ship, a tie fighter nearby exploded and pieces of it scattered through space, one of which hit the shuttle. With one of their thrusters damaged, the pod began to fall towards one of Bakura’s moons.

 

* * *

 

Hux blinked but everything was hazy and dark. A searing pain in his head caused him to cringe as he felt around his environment. Smoke threatened to choke him as he coughed, hands finally landing on something familiar. Still unable to see, but trusting his instincts, he gripped tightly onto the cloth he felt and dragged the heavy thing it belonged to with him. He groped about, finding things he could grab onto with his free hand to pull himself forward. Finally, fresh air and blinding light met his lungs.

Blinking a few more times, he looked down at the person he’d dragged out with him. Kylo Ren lay in an unconscious heap next to him, half of his body (and the general’s own) still inside the pod’s wreckage. Pausing only to take a few deep breaths to clear his lungs, Hux resumed his efforts and managed to get both of them clear of the wreckage. His energy was drained entirely, and he collapsed in a heap next to the force user.

When he eventually woke up, he found that the pain in his head had dulled and the wreckage had all but stopped burning. He pressed his head to Kylo’s chest, ignored the way his heart danced, and made sure that the other man was alive before sitting up and taking in his surroundings.

The moon where they had landed had a surface made of soft yellow soil. It was not fine enough to be sand, and yet few plants grew on it. Breaking up the sea of yellow were many blue ponds, which green flowers grew out of. On their edges, huge plants with large stalks extended towards the sky and were capped by pink buds. Other foliage surrounded the ponds, although the rest of the yellow land had no flora. _It’s not an ideal place for survival. We’ll need to get off somehow…_ , he thought.

Hux looked down at the man next to him and removed his gloves, tossing them aside. _But first, we must live._ Carefully, he softly brushed a black strand of hair out of the man’s face. He sighed to himself, his hand lingering a moment too long over the other man’s skin.

“Why do we have to be like this?” he asked in a quiet voice.

As he watched Kylo, he saw the man that had once grabbed his wrist while they escaped an exploding planet together. He saw the man that had knowingly protected him over all the other generals, and the man that had argued with him and broken out of the shell that Snoke had so carefully crafted. The same man that in an office - a cold, barren office aboard a ship of men as deluded as the next - had responded to his inquiry about the foolishness and irrepressibility of love.

Hux touched Kylo’s cheek with the back of his hand as he repeated the same words that has been used as a reply.

“Perhaps it can’t always be helped.”

“Perhaps not,” Kylo responded, blinking a few times and meeting the general’s gaze.

Hux jerked his hand back, but Kylo caught it and intertwined his fingers with the redhead’s.

“Love is still foolish, General, that has not changed. We’re just both fools.”

Hux’s lips curled up slightly as he tried to ignore the subtle heat on the surface of his cheeks.

“You look pleasant when you smile, Valaros.”

“You’re delirious, Kylo. Must’ve hit your head.”

Kylo hummed in response.

The general sighed and looked over his shoulder at the wreckage. “I’ll see if I can salvage a kit. We made it this far, I don’t want to die of an infection.”

He got up and groaned, his body aching all over, but didn’t let the pain deter him. The kit, although half crushed, was in the ship and most of its contents were salvageable. Hux brought it next to Kylo who had, in the time it took the general to get the supplies, barely managed to prop himself up on a shoulder.  

“Here, let me,” Hux told him, delicately removing the robes around the wounds.

In addition to the gash in his side, Kylo had suffered an injury to his leg in the crash. The general dressed his companion’s wounds, cleaning them gently with a cloth before spraying a cold antiseptic on them which made Kylo wince. Once they were all bandaged, the knight dropped back onto his back and closed his eyes. Hux shook is head and began taking care of his own wounds. His side burned with pain, but he found no visible wound. He had a sinking feeling that his rib was broken, and took a few bright purple pills to dull his agony. There was, however, a gash on his forehead which was sticky with dried blood. Taking a cloth, he tried not to cringe as he cleaned as best as he could.

Kylo opened his eyes and looked at the redhead, “You’re thinking too loudly.”

Not wanting to get up, he reached for the general’s head and brought it down towards himself, staring into the other man’s eyes as he did so. With one hand, he brushed disheveled red locks out of the way and with the other, he carefully used a cloth to wipe the blood off.

Hux stared at him.

“I can be gentle, you know,” Kylo responded as he finished cleaning up the last of the blood. “Even compassionate...or at least I once was.”

“Hmm,” Hux responded.

“There. Now this is going to sting.”

The general winced as liquid was sprayed onto the wound, but relaxed at Kylo’s touch, patiently waiting for the man to finish applying the bandages to his forehead. He moved his gaze from Kylo’s eyes to the gash across the man’s face.

“Will it scar?” Hux asked.

“Possibly. I don’t know. I don’t know much anymore.”

“Me neither,” Hux whispered.

Sighing, he packed everything back up into the damaged kit and pushed it to the side, electing to lay down and rest now that their wounds had been addressed. The only thing he kept out was a water filter that they could use on the pond. Unable to battle the exhaustion that took over his body, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

When he woke up again, his muscles full of a dull burning sensation, he found that he was on his side, pressed up against Kylo Ren. He was too tired to move away, too tired to do anything but stare at the knight’s face and then notice that the other man had his eyes open. Kylo was staring up at the stars.

Hux followed his gaze and saw that his companion was looking at - a battle in the skies. The night was dark and full of twinkling lights, but every once in awhile, a sudden brightness or streak could be seen.

“The battle is still raging,” Kylo commented.

“While uncommon, they can take days,” Hux replied, voice barely a whisper.

They stayed there in silence until both of them fell asleep once more.

* * *

 

The sound of engines woke Hux up from his slumber, and he immediately reached for his blaster. Kylo’s eyes flashed open seconds later, and the two of them helped each other onto their feet. Battered and hungry, they watched as a First Order ship landed on the yellow dirt of the moon’s surface, and Phasma, in her glistening chronium-plated armor, stepped out. Behind her came at least a dozen stormtroopers.

“General,” Captain Phasma called out. “You need to come with us.”

A hot fire burned in his chest as dots connected in his head. _It was you, wasn’t it? I always knew that you were self-serving, but I didn’t expect this. I should’ve known better._ Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kylo’s brows wrinkle, and he felt the the knight’s grip tighten on his arm. He also noticed the shortness of his companion’s breath and the way that Ren  leaned to one side, avoiding putting weight on his injured leg.

Hux unwrapped Kylo’s arm from around his neck and kept eye contact with Phasma while he placed his blaster on the ground.

“I’m coming.”

He ignored the expression on Kylo’s face, which he got a brief glimpse of. The man’s eyes had gone wide, their depth revealing more to Hux than a thousand words could have. He shook his head and walked towards the stormtroopers, still managing to look dignified despite his unkempt hair and the blood and dirt on his tattered clothes. When he got close enough to be within arms-length of Phasma, he stopped and lifted his wrists, prepared for the inevitable.

Instead of putting him in handcuffs, Phasma stepped aside, and a white fist belonging to one of the troopers made contact with the side of his face, knocking him to the ground.

“Traitor!”

The stormtrooper kicked him in the side, which happened to be his injured one, forcing him to cough out blood as he tried to keep a straight face despite the feeling of death in his side. The trooper kicked him again, and when Hux moved his hand to cover his injury, the armored man stomped on his wrist. The redhead gritted his teeth and endured it, repeating over and over in his mind that he would not scream.

Phasma looked down at him and then up at her trooper.

“Cuff him.”

“Yes, sir,” the stormtrooper responded, kicking Hux once more before kneeling down and binding the general’s wrists.

Hux found himself jerked off the ground, pulled up by the cuffs which only made his wrist throb more. Jerking his head once to remove strands of hair out of his eyes, he faced the ship.

“Ren,” Hux heard Phasma say behind him. “The Supreme Leader wants to see you.”

The general heard Kylo’s footsteps as he approached the group, and Hux closed his eyes, sighing. _I trust that he’ll be safe._ However, he couldn’t turn his head fast enough once he heard the sound of Kylo’s cross-saber igniting.

“That’s too bad.”

All of a sudden, the troopers were sent flying through the air with one blast. Only Phasma managed to hold her ground, kneeling in response to the force push. She fired her blaster at Kylo, but he was too fast for her. In seconds, he had sliced her weapon in half and lifted her into the air, his fist held high as he channeled the invisible power of the universe.

“The failing of the jedi, is that they lack passion,” Kylo growled. “I am not a jedi.”

He threw her to the air, and turned to grab Hux’s arm as she hit the ground.

“We need to go.”

The general ran with Ren, fighting the burning, aching sensations that filled his body and threatened to make him collapse. Onboard the ship, they made a dash for the cockpit but were stopped by the pilot and his co-pilot, both armed.

“I don’t have time for this!” Kylo yelled, shoving his arm towards them as if to pull them closer, and then flinging his fist behind him.

They went flying through the air and out of the ship. Before any of the troopers could board, Hux sat down in the co-pilots seat and jammed his fist on a button, closing the door.

“Can you fly?” he asked Kylo.

One side of the knight’s lips turned upwards into a smug smile, “Of course.”

He punched a few buttons and flipped a few switches before taking hand of the controls and sending the ship up into the atmosphere. As soon as they were clear of the planet, they flew haphazardly through the edges of the battle and went into hyperspace.

 

* * *

 

Valaros sat with his eyes closed on a raised metal platform against the wall of the ship, just outside the cockpit. He rubbed a thumb along the back of his hand absentmindedly, not used to not having his gloves. Boots moved across the metal floor and Hux opened his eyes. From his right, Kylo had stepped out of the cockpit and to stand in front of and look down at him.

“The ship is on autopilot. We’ll stop at a backwater planet to get supplies and change ships.”

“What are we going to do?” Hux asked, eyes staring out into the distance.

Kylo took a step closer and Hux looked up at him, noticing how lovely the shadows caused by the ship’s poor lighting played across the force user’s face.

“I don’t know. Once more, I find myself being torn apart.”

“The light never stopped calling to you,” Hux said softly, thinking about their time on Belessar.

Kylo sighed, staring deeper into Hux’s eyes with his own beautiful brown ones. “Perhaps...”

He paused, and Hux knew what he was thinking about.

“Your words poisoned me, but your true venom set in long ago.”

The general responded with a small smile.

“I'm a murderer, you know, and so are you. Wanted by both sides of a galactic war, and loyal to neither.”

“I don't care. I've always been rash. At least now I know what it's like to truly have something to fight for.”

Kylo leaned in and cupped Hux’s face in his hands, pressing their lips together. It felt warm and pleasant, the general noted, like something out of a dream he had years before becoming a tool of the First Order. Ren’s lips were soft although the kiss was deep, and the knight smelled of fresh soil and pine trees. For once in his life, Hux felt as though he was whole.

_I am unsure where we stand in the galaxy, but I know it is possible that, even in our darkest shadows, there is light._

 

 (Art by the immensely talented @iwanttoplayguitar who can be found at their [Tumblr](https://iwanttoplayguitar.tumblr.com/)) 


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